MONTHLY PLANNING TIMES With Your Spouse

The following planning sheet can help you as a married couple, to draw closer together. It can help you approach matters that concern your life together. This involves having monthly planning times together. This way you are both more united in your schedules and activities. Feel free to change it in whatever way it would best work for you:

PRAY TOGETHER and work to establish action plans for this month:

PLAN A HOUSEHOLD TASK UPDATE:

• Secondly, discuss home projects that need to be tended to. It’s important that you are in agreement of what needs to be done, and by whom:

What project(s) needs to be done inside our home?

What needs to be done on the outside of our home that needs special attention?

Who is designated to do what?

REVIEW YOUR BUDGET:

Where are we this month in keeping to our agreed upon budget —are we on track?

Do we have any new expenses coming up that we need to be aware of?

What’s our plan for saving for this (or these items)?

Do we need to make adjustments in how we’re handling our money?

ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER IN PERSONAL SHORT-TERM & LONG-RANGE GOALS:

This can include self-study, education, dieting, reading, exercising, and hobbies. Or it can just include having some personal R&R time that’s important to you as a man or a woman. It’s important to have goals that you share together. But it’s also important to do something “just for you.” This is something that doesn’t conflict with family’s values or take too much time away from each other.

• Discuss your personal goals so you can encourage and pray for each other.

Keep in mind these goals aren’t to be at the expense of the other’s feelings.

Are there any changes from last month’s goals?

How did you personally do with last month’s goals—did you complete them?

• Determine your own “80/20 goal” for this next month.

These are goals that will improve your life by 80% but will only require 20% of your effort. This includes organizing or finishing a project that’s been bugging you for a long time and needs to be completed.

• Pray for your goals (today and throughout the month).

• Discuss goals and plans you can share together including ministry goals.

It’s important to always have goals that you’re mutually working on together. This keeps your relationship alive and growing together rather than apart.

What goal(s) are we to work on together as a couple?

What goal(s) are we to work on as a family?

SCHEDULE FUN DATING TIMES WITH EACH OTHER:

Additionally, make sure your dating times are planned so you do fun things together without having the children along. These are to be set appointments and can only be changed upon a mutual agreement for a very good reason.

What can we do together on a date, as a couple that we’d both enjoy?

When are we going to do this and where are we going?

Do we want to have friends join us for this occasion?

DISCUSS FUTURE VACATIONS, AND FAMILY OUTINGS:

Include quality time with each child if you have children living at home.

What type of event(s) do we want to do together?

When do we want to go, and where do we want to go?

Do we want the whole family included?

Do we want to include any friends to come along with us?

What arrangements do we need to make? Who’s to do what?

VALIDATE WHEN YOU WANT TO HAVE THE NEXT PLANNING SESSION.

This is important to do this right now because if you don’t, it probably won’t get it on the calendar for next month.

COORDINATE YOUR CALENDARS.

Decide if you’re in or out of balance on the activities you have scheduled for the month(s) ahead. Keep in mind that it’s important for you to be in agreement on any commitments that will affect the whole family before you say “yes” to anything. Ask yourselves:

“Do we need to change anything?”

ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER IN SHARING YOUR FAITH:

• ASK:

How are we doing in our own personal growth in sharing our faith with others?

• Pray for each other’s list of unsaved people that the Lord’s laid upon your hearts.

• Pray for others that need encouragement.

WORK ON OTHER CONCERNS:

Bring up the major discussion points that need to be talked through:

• Lovingly discuss issues that are bothering you.

These issues include sensitive topics, which you need to discuss thoroughly without interruption.

Is there an “unresolved” topic we need to revisit because we couldn’t finish it previously?

• Tell what you appreciate about each other.

Too often we forget to tell each other we appreciate them.

SHARE WITH EACH OTHER WHAT THE LORD HAS BEEN SHOWING YOU.

Share from His word and through other resources, in your life, and/or through the lives of others recently.

• Ask each other:

“What can I specifically be praying for you this next week/month?”

• Lastly, and most importantly, PRAY TOGETHER.

Praying together is too important of a part of your relationship to neglect. Get comfortable praying aloud with each other now and every day. When you are doing this you may feel a bit awkward at first. But hang in there. Eventually, you’ll be blessed by it as you persevere.

Steve and Cindy Wright of Marriage Missions International put together this planning sheet.